Match Preview
Thistle this evening have the opportunity to go some small way towards making amends for Saturday’s defeat at Stark’s Park. We’re back in cup action in the ALBA Challenge Cup with Third Division Berwick Rangers, frequent visitors to Firhill in cup action in recent years, providing the opposition.
If anything the need to produce a morale boosting performance in the wake of Saturday’s disappointment adds a little extra significance to the fixture and manager Ian McCall was able to give www.ptfc.co.uk the latest team news.
"Willie Kinniburgh's red card against Raith Rovers on Saturday will mean that he will miss Saturday's game with Dundee and so is available and in the squad for tonight's game. Conrad Balatoni who is in need of 90 minutes, however, will start this match."
"It's a match that we are taking really seriously and we will be looking for a positive reaction to Saturday's defeat against Raith Rovers. That was a result that hurt everyone and one from which we need to take on board a number of different things. Equally though we need to be careful not to go overboard and realise that it is just one game."
"That said, I've watched the dvd of the game and the three goals that we conceded in the first half were simply ridiculous. We cannot afford a repeat of that. The players were in training both Sunday and Monday and they trained really well. There was an air of quietness about them on Sunday which is understandable and a reflection of just how disappointed they were with what happened on Saturday but it is the job of myself and the coaching staff to try and lift them and, as I've said, get a positive reaction from them and take that forward into Saturday's game with Dundee."
"We will need that kind reaction if we are to progress to the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup. The Challenge Cup begins to heat up once you get to the quarter-final stage of the competition and we are keen to get to that stage and beyond. It's not a tournament that Partick Thistle have traditionally done well in. Indeed ,when you think of the historically 'bigger' First Division clubs we are perhaps the only one not to have won the competition and we would very much like to put that right this season."
Berwick meantime will be without Jamie Ewart and Steve Notman through suspension while goalkeeper Mark Peat and Stuart Callaghan are on the injured list.
Partick Thistle Stats
Current Form – Season 2010/2011
W D L F A
2 0 1 3 5
Scorers Season 2010/2011
Liam Buchanan 1
Simon Donnelly 1
Ryan MacBeth 1
Last Game
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday August 7th 2010
Raith Rovers 4, Partick Thistle 0
Berwick Rangers Stats
Current Form – Season 2010/2011
W D L F A
0 1 1 2 3
Scorers Season 2010/2011
Paul Currie 1
Kevin Gordon 1
Last Game
Irn-Bru Scottish League Third Division
Saturday August 7th 2010
Albion Rovers 2, Berwick Rangers 2
Last Meeting
Co-Operative Insurance Cup First Round
Saturday August 1st 2010
Partick Thistle 5, Berwick Rangers 1
Teams
Thistle: Tuffey, Paton, Corrigan, Hodge (Rowson), Robertson, Maxwell, Cairney (Hamilton), McKeown, Buchanan, Donnelly, Corcoran.
Berwick: Peat, Smith, Ewart, McLean, Callaghan (Guy), Russell (Little), Currie, Greenhill, McMullan (McMenamin), Brazil, Notman.
Scorers
Thistle: Hodge (29), Buchanan (49, 81), Erskine (54, 87)
Berwick: Little (69)
Crowd: 1,472
Match Details
ALBA Challenge Cup Second Round
Tuesday August 10th 2010
Partick Thistle v Berwick Rangers
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Prices
Adults £10
Concessions £5
Programme £1.50
Season Tickets are NOT valid for this fixture
Other Fixtures
ALBA Challenge Cup Second Round
Queen’s Park v Forfar Athletic
Stenhousemuir v Dundee
Ayr United v Cowdenbeath
Ross County v Morton
Dunfermline Athletic v Queen of the South
Peterhead v East Stirlingshire
East Fife v Stirling Albion
Match Officials
Referee: Anthony Law
Assistant Referees: Brian McGarry and David Cockburn
